Omicron now dominant COVID strain in U.S.
The omicron variant now makes up roughly 73% of new COVID-19 infections being reported in the U.S., leading the federal Centers for Disease Control to consider it the most dominant variant of the coronavirus in the nation.
The new estimates underline how quickly the variant has spread across the U.S. — as of Dec. 11, omicron made up only 12.6% of positive COVID-19 samples.
Omicron has been more prevalent in certain parts of the U.S., including the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes and the Southeast, with some regions’ infections being up to 90% omicron.
Latest COVID-19 data
South Carolina health officials reported 993 total cases of COVID-19 Dec. 21, with 649 confirmed. A total of 14 new deaths were also reported, with 12 confirmed.
With 13,417 tests reported Tuesday, 6.9% were confirmed positive.
Percentage of S.C. residents age 12+ with at least one vaccine: 64.4%
Percentage of of S.C. residents age 12+ who have completed vaccination: 55.9%
Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 with at least one vaccine: 10.7%
Percentage of S.C. residents age 5-11 who have completed vaccination: 5.9%
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